Prepare 8. Unit 3. My way of life.

Write the verbs to complete the timeline of life events.

b   b   rn, v   t  

st   rt sch    l, r   t   r  

g   t   j   b, l    v   h   m  

g   t m   rr    d

h   v   ch   ldr   n

g   t   dr   v   ng l   c   nc  

Read the text

Do you find your school lessons boring? Many teenagers say they don’t enjoy their classes and think the education system needs to change to make it more interesting and useful.

Around 80% of students said they were unhappy with their school life, and almost 50% said there were not enough courses to choose from. When asked how they felt about their education, students said they often didn’t find it very interesting. ‘It does only a tiny bit to help us find employment,’ says Naomi, 16, from Cardiff. ‘This really needs to change so our education makes sure we are helped to become successful later in life.’ Nicholas, 13, from London says when he is studying in class, he is often exhausted because he is always doing tests, which makes him lose interest. ‘It’s always about getting good results in tests, not about giving you more knowledge to help you when you leave school to get a job.’ The other thing students say is a problem is that often the lessons don’t include anything connected to their interests. ‘They don’t seem to know who we are as young people in the 21st century. There isn’t much technology used in the classroom, whereas in our personal lives, we – and everyone else – use technology in lots of different and exciting ways,’ says Jessie, 16, from Winchester. Education experts agree: ‘Today’s system is too focused on helping students pass exams and it doesn’t help them prepare themselves for real life and work,’ says Nigel Jones from EducateUK, an organisation that wants to make changes to the education system. But what can be done to change this? ‘We need to focus education on helping young people to develop the skills and knowledge they need in the modern world,’ says Jones. ‘We think that there should be a new, more relaxed course system that gives teachers more choices to make lessons more fun, interesting and practical.’ The idea is popular with students too. ‘I’d love to have new, more useful classes at my school,’ says Mark, 14. ‘I’d like to learn computer programming so that I can become a video-games developer when I’m older.’

Which statement best reflects the text's overall message about improving education?